If you or your spouse
has ever sewn...or knows someone who sews quite often, you probably realize
that keeping an ever-growing collection of threads handy, organized and
within easy reach can become a chore. Often, some of the more infrequently
used colors virtually disappear into the bottom of the sewing basket...possibly
never to be seen again.

You're not alone.
It's a problem faced by sewers the World over...and the main reason why
an attractive, functional Thread Holder like this one will have so much
market appeal. This unique holder places up to 20 spools of thread in
plain sight and shows at a glance which colors are available and how much
thread is on each spool. It's sure to be a great addition to anyone's
sewing room.

We made our Holder
from pine, but virtually any wood will work quite nicely. It can also
be easily modified to hold more spools by increasing its width or adding
more tilting shelves. If you'd like to have longer shelves or more of
them, just extend the length measurements of the Shelves (C)...and
the height of the Sides (D)
and Lower Back (F) by 3-1/2"
for each additional shelf.

Cutting The Stock
Begin by thickness planing and table sawing the Top (A),
Bottom (B), Shelves (C),
Sides (D) and Upper Back (E)
to size as per the List of Materials. Also cut the 1/4" diameter x 1-3/8"
long Dowel Pin Thread-Holders to length.

Transfer the pattern
for the Upper Back (E) shown
in Figure 1 to your stock
and use a Bandsaw to cut out the profile. To save time when making multiples,
temporarily attach up to five or six blanks together using Double
Stick Tape and Pad Saw them all at once.

If you're Pad Sawing,
separate the Backs into stacks of three and use a combination of a Drum
Sander and a Strip
Sander to sand the profiled edges smooth.

Drilling The
Peg And Assembly Holes
Mount a 1/4" diameter Brad Point Bit in your Drill Chuck and set your
depth-of-cut for 3/8". Drill all the holes for the Dowel Pins (G)
in the Shelf (C) tops following
Figure 3 for proper hole positioning.
You can speed this task by attaching a strip of masking tape to your Rip
Fence and marking a series of vertical lines on this tape for use as a
guide for faster hole positioning.

Change to a 3/8"
diameter Bit and drill the eight 1/2" deep counterbore assembly holes
on the outside of the Top (A)
and Bottom (B), as shown in
Figure 4. Complete those holes
by drilling the through screw pilot holes with a 5/32" diameter bit.